The Kidd Vs. MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS

Oh, sure… it’s easy to dream up a scenario where multiple superheroes could take to the big screen and team up to battle whatever super-villain is lined up against them with the rest of the world hanging in the balance, but up until Nick Fury set foot into Tony Stark’s place to tell him he wasn’t “the only superhero in the world” and present to him the Avengers Initiative, we didn’t actually believe it was possible. Now after an IRON MAN sequel which was all about setting up S.H.I.E.L.D., a couple solo efforts for Captain America and Thor, and a recasting of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo now dons the purple pants), the Marvel Movie Universe has finally come together in THE AVENGERS. Just the idea of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) sharing screen time is enough to make even the most average of geeks need a change of underwear, but now that the realization of such a concept is here, it’s a matter of whether or not the film can not only meet expectations but exceed them.

So that’s the simple question. Does THE AVENGERS live up to the four-year build of excitement for this film, which all began with that one post-credits IRON MAN sequence? Yes, but…

THE AVENGERS is incredibly fun and refreshingly exhilarating. Watching these characters come together is a sight to see, if only because who knows if we’ll ever see anything like it ever again (that is, until the sequel… but will we ever get a Justice League movie to match?). It’s not short on action, delivering not only each of the Avengers getting their moments to shine against the invasion of the Chitauri but the dream match-ups of seeing some of our heroes square off against each other, too. But, for those positives, THE AVENGERS steps forward with its fair share of glaring weaknesses in tow. Even with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) involved again, there’s a lack of credible villain. Even with a third act comprised solely of action, there are long bouts where THE AVENGERS drags, with exposition aplenty being talked at you rather than shown. The formula for showing dissension among the ranks feels tired and repetitive after awhile, and the Avengers at times feel like a bunch of high school girls incapable of working together over the ultimate in superhero teams. THE AVENGERS is a clusterfuck of epic proportions… but it comes together in all the right places. The good outweighs the bad, and, when all is said and done, the film manages to bring you one thing that’s been missing from a lot of movies Hollywood has been releasing lately: joy.

For this chapter in the Marvel Movie Universe, Loki has teamed up with the Chitauri, an alien race, in order to get their hands on the Cosmic Cube. Loki wants to rule Earth, the Chitauri want the Cube to rule the rest of the galaxy… everyone wins as far as they’re concerned, except for the human race. With Earth in jeopardy of being taken over, Nick Fury revisits the Avengers Initiative to bring together some extraordinary people to defend us from the evils that are lurking. It’s about as simple a plot as they come, and really all that’s needed for the Avengers to assemble.

The issue though is that the danger never materializes until the full-blown war is waged until the third act. In the meantime, Loki is taken captive after a pretty cool fight between Iron Man and Thor over whose jurisdiction he belongs under, and then arguably the best villain in the Marvel films so far is put on the shelf, left to waste away in a cell meant for the Hulk, if needed. Sadly, Hiddleston is wasted, spending a large portion of the film in a position where he can’t really do much, except talk. There’s a divide and conquer element to his plan, but he doesn’t have much of a hand in it. There’s an air of inevitability to these super egos getting into a macho contest over who’s dick is the biggest, so, to bring Loki into the middle of it and not really have him play a role reeks of not really knowing what else to do with him for the time being. I get that there’s plenty of future for Loki beyond THE AVENGERS, looking at a THOR sequel and more, but, if you’re not going to allow his cunning and deviousness to amount to anything, there’s no need to even use him. He would have been better off kept wherever he was for better use later than to slap him onto THE AVENGERS. He’s fantastic when is given some room to work, but it’s too few and far between for my liking.

The superhero on superhero fighting is cool as hell. There is nothing quite like seeing Thor and the Hulk throw down, but, after seeing what feels like every combination of the Avengers mixed and matched to battle each other at some point, the concept becomes a bit stale throughout the movie that by the time you see Black Widow and Hawkeye exchanging blows, the novelty has been lost. To add to the physical, this group of Alpha males (no offense, Black Widow) is always sniping at each other over whose way of doing things is the right way, which leads to constant bickering, very unbecoming of a superhero. For some reason, Tony Stark has added Sawyer from LOST to his long resume of genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist. He’s got a nickname for everyone – from “Point Break” for Thor to “Legolas” for Hawkeye. Sure, Stark has been a smart-ass throughout the films thus far, but there’s something that feels a little off with how RDJ portrays him this time out. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with Iron Man though, as his aerial battles are some of the best action beats in THE AVENGERS.

Let’s get to the good stuff. If you were wondering how Mark Ruffalo would do following in the steps of Eric Bana and Edward Norton, he more than handles his own as Bruce Banner. Ruffalo has the proper demeanor for Banner’s under the radar, just want to be left alone persona to work, and, because his version of the Hulk is part of a bigger picture and not the focus all by himself, the character’s limitations are well hidden. We can get the Hulk smashing and transforming without this endless battle to control “the other guy.” As for the Hulk himself… holy shit!! This is the Hulk we’ve really been waiting for for two films, and he probably serves up more WTF moments in THE AVENGERS than the rest of the Marvel Studios films have had combined. You’ll know them when you see them, and, as your jaw hits the floor and you jump out of your seat, you’ll be left wondering why it took until Joss Whedon to finally figure out how to maximize his potential.

It isn’t until the film’s third act that THE AVENGERS truly gels. Here’s where the Chitauri finally arrive in full force, as do the superheroes. The action is non-stop, shifting from one Avenger to the next as they do their best to take the fight to their attackers. Until then, THE AVENGERS feels quite underwhelming, but once the shit hits the fan, director Joss Whedon shows his understanding of what the fans want to see. There’s much more Loki at work here, which just makes his uselessness prior all the more upsetting, and we really get the best of Iron Man, the Hulk and Thor on display. It’s a crowd-pleasing finale to the film that reminds you why you were thrilled for this movie in the first place.

Is THE AVENGERS the best of the Marvel movies? It may be the most fun, particularly at the end, but it’s far from the most complete story they’ve told. While there’s no need to get into the origins of each individual character (although we get a glimpse of the backstories of Black Widow and Hawkeye, since they’re the least established), THE AVENGERS still manages to play like an origin story. The pieces may not have to be explained all over again, but this is very much about setting the dynamic of the team and working through their difficulties as solo acts to get there. As a result, there’s plenty of missteps along the way to perfecting that equation, but I get the feeling now that the hard work is out of the way, a sequel will give them a lot more freedom to just jump into the fact that they now have a fully working, although occasionally dysfunctional, unit capable of doing great things against great opponents. The climactic war is ultimately what saves the film. Without it, we would have walked away seeing the superhero equivalent of THE MIGHTY DUCKS. With it, we got a movie that’s after all this is worthy of calling itself THE AVENGERS.

Liked it but it didn't blow him away. He said he enjoyed it and the complaints he lists are mild. He also said it is the most fun Marvel movie yet. These are all true sentiments of someone who likes a movie but it is their job to review it. He can't just masturbate all day over the Hulk's awesomeness if he feels that the story was a bit lacking at moments. Good honest review.

The Kidd is basically just a troll. I've had more than enough of him. All he manages to do is suck the life and fun out of every single film he reviews. He's a complete ass and he brings nothing to the site but negativity. Leave that for the talkbacks. Don't have the reviewers being as bad as the talkbacks. Enough of this clown already. Go away Kid.

I don't get this review, like I didn't get Beaks'. I'm not saying the criticisms aren't valid, but they seem to be blown way out of proportion? Did he really want a movie that was three hours of actions sequences? It's not a Michael Bay film. The character set-up (which is masterfully handled) is why the third act pays off so well.
The first 40 minutes drag slightly, but that's it. And you do have to kinda introduce the characters again, and they do it as quickly as you possibly could without completely losing a new audience.
This movie was an amazing accomplishment given the challenge it presented. For those unclear, said challenge is--"hey! Weave together four highly successful franchises, give every a-list actor in this flick something cool to do, and try to keep it under three hours! No problem, right?"
I normally try not to go all internet troll on these reviews, but this one gets even more of "JFC" from me than Beaks' did.

'cause everything he posts has a negative spin or is just retardedly pointless. Seriously, Harry, hire better people. Or let Capone or Quint hire people. Jesus, between him and Nordling I don't want to come to this site anymore. It's mainly deadline rehashes anyways.

The whole thing of them butting heads is just what would happen, you don't put that many superhero types in a room and not expect some friction and especially when no one has been dephined as the leader of the team, hence why the first part of the movie is all about that, until something happens that makes them all take a step back and look at the bigger picture and where they fit into it.

In the end when Iron Man carries the atomic rocket, launched by the secret leaders to destroy manhatten, through the portal in the sky to destroy the mothership in space and win the war, I asked myself why not do it at the beginning? Apparently there is no defense system on the mothership, so whats it all about?
I hope i spoiled it big time for some of you american fuckers, go to hell.

...criticizing movies way too seriously. I saw this with 4 friends. All 4 of us enjoyed the hell out of it and left the theater talking about how awesome A, B, & C parts were.
Then we grabbed dinner and talked about it more and every single one of us had some level of a complaint from the story, pacing, villain, or character focus. We all just discussed it like it was a movie. It isn't perfect but it does 95% of what is supposed to do right and literally had us clapping.
Just because someone has the ability to find some things that didn't sit well with him doesn't mean he is shitting on the movie. Just means they are normal. People who are calling this movie or TDK perfect are high as a kite.
Nothing that I felt was lacking (it was all tiny tiny slight complaints) took away from my overall enjoyment of the film. It is the most fun movie Marvel has put out and I can't envision anyone hating it.

The guy's a troll who still can't think of a review headline besides "the Kidd vs." His reviews just summarize the plot and nitpick. No actual insight, no passion for film.
PLEASE tell me he's still in some kind of trial/temporary period and Harry can send him on his way some time soon. If Harry can fire his own wife, he can save us from the Kidd.

"The Kidd is basically just a troll. I've had more than enough of him. All he manages to do is suck the life and fun out of every single film he reviews. He's a complete ass and he brings nothing to the site but negativity. Leave that for the talkbacks. Don't have the reviewers being as bad as the talkbacks. Enough of this clown already. Go away Kid. "
Just like to say that I couldn't disagree more. If you find his reviews are "sucking the life and fun" out of your movie experience, try not reading them.

I don't care what anyone says. This review is pretty fair to be honest. He's not saying the film is rubbish. He says its good but there are a few things wrong with it.
I've seen it twice now (once without 3D and once with - 3D is pointless BTW watch it in 2D) and I cant help but think that it does lose a little bit the second time round when watching it.
Is it a good film? YES REALLY FUN!!! you leave the cinema charged and happy that we have finally seen a team comic book film and its good.
It still has flaws in it. Once the intense wave of "Avengers Fever" stops people will calm down about it, still enjoy it and see that its far from a perfect film. A lot of reviewers havent had the nuts to do this kind of review and have simply spoken about how great it is without noting some real issues with the film.
The main one first and foremost is that it IS narrativiely sloppy in places and does repeat itself for the first two acts. The final act is stunning though and makes you forget any minor issues you may have had through out the film.
The only other issue after this is the fact that you do need to have seen at least a couple of the prior Marvel films before even looking into this. I learned this when taking my mates 11 year old daughter to go watch it.
I made sure she sat down and watched Ironman 2 and Captain America first as my wife and I own them. I also explained who Thor and Loki were. So it helped but she was still confused by a few things which were explained in Thor and Ironman.
I think kids/adults who want to watch this and who havent seen the prior films may lose quite a bit from the viewing experince.
Still an entertaining, exciting, and enjoyable film.

It's more flawed but at the same time more fun and entertaining... and like the previous Marvel movies, some will lose their shit over it and some will be underwhelmed. I really enjoyed it, walked out grinning, but people have been talking it up way too much... this will be the type of movie that a shit load of people buy on bluray and DVD when it comes up... six months later their will be shitloads of them in the second hand store.

The film's new post-credits scene doesn't contain any dialogue, but shows the entire team sitting down and eating shawarma. According to what Campbell told ComicBookMovie.com, it's roughly about a minute long and Mark Ruffalo seems like he's struggling to keep a straight face throughout the scene. There's been an image circulating the Internet that confirms this.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8tTV6DH3SQw/T6FEjg8XErI/AAAAAAAAHwc/oOQJ7EbIr4I/s1600/Avengers2.jpg

Whenever I see all these superlatively positive reviews, I just can't take them seriously. There's such a strange culture in fanboy criticism now that insists everything has to be the most awesome thing you've ever seen, or that it's an epic fail that rapes your childhood. Nothing's in between. Are people so insecure in their opinions that they can't champion the good in a film without ignoring the bad, or vice versa?
<p>
<p>It'll take me until I see it, but so far a review like this makes me think that this is going to be something like how I saw the "Star Wars" Prequels-- I love them for the good they have (the epic vision, the action-packed set-pieces, the mythic story) but I don't have to be in denial about the weak points (the wooden script, the distant performances, the CGI overkill). Even the things you love don't have to be perfect.

No film is a transcendent perfect goddamn snowflake. Even the very best films have something legitimate to criticize. That pointing out what is weaker about an otherwise good movie has become somehow impolite strikes me as a fairly silly development.
For example, I really enjoyed the entire Matrix trilogy. All three films. The latter two, in particular, were heavily criticized, and for good reasons; they violated the show-don't-tell rule flagrantly, the characters were often flat if not complete author-ciphers, some of the editing choices were odd to say the least. Accepting those criticisms as legitimate in no way reduces my enjoyment of those films, because my enjoyment of them comes from an entirely different place than the technical proficiency of the film's craftsmanship.
It's much like if someone points out that the Bible isn't exactly the world's best science textbook, some people take this sentiment as an offensive criticism of the Bible itself, reading the criticism as tantamount to saying that it has no value at all.
So saying that he's irritated that Hiddleston's Loki had to spend half the movie sitting in a high-tech box not doing much of anything doesn't mean that the villain is a poor one, or that it is a fatal flaw of the movie. He in fact went out of his way to obviate that interpretation of his criticism.
Don't let your inner fanboy overpower a sensible approach to film reviews! What matters is whether you like it; all critical reviews really do is point out things you might not have noticed on your own.

Wonderful job. Harrys review left me smiling the wayone geek winks to another. This review has opened my mind and put my feet firmly on the ground. I never did like Whedon but i am sure this one will be great however, having Stark saying shit like Legolas and Pointbreak is ridiculous. Pure Whedon pointless humor. I am done reading starry eyed geek reviews, Kidd you have my attention sir.
One question, what did u think of the score?

I never understand wahy people get so upset with reviews and take it so personally. You DO realize that it is the reviewers OPINION and not fact, right? Any review you read is subjective to that persons views, perceptions, biases, etc... If you don't agree, fine, but don't take it personal unless you are the screenwriter, director, etc. So tired of fanboys freaking out when reading a review of a movie they HAVE NOT EVEN FUCKING SEEN YET and taking it personal. I take most reviews with a grain of salt and rely on ones from reviewers that I share similar opinions with over multiple movies.

there is huge Loki-induced battle/catastrophe on the flying super duper-carrier of SHIELD in the middle of the film, which in the version, the Kidd has seen obviously was cut. Too bad für american customers...
Anyway on a side note: Scarlett Johannson looked unathletic and chubby in this, although she plays quite good and has many interesting scenes. Still: a super-assassin should have the muscles to be believable.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that feels like the kidd just likes to nitpick things to death. I'm fine if someone doesn't care for a movie that I like but sometimes the reviews submitted by The Kidd remind me of the pretentious jerks in film history class that told us how popular films were crap and that we should just sit around and watch Warhol movies all weekend. "You see Sleep represents man's...blah blah blah" It's okay to like popular movies. Here endeth the lesson.

You want proof? Go on rottentomatoes and look at the reviews that are bombarded with comments. They are the negative ones. Always. Why so protective? Why so defensive? Because you can't distinguish your own self worth with a freaking movie you like. This is what we get for giving everyone a trophy.
Go ahead and write all the nasty responses you want to. That's what you do. But for every self-absorbed head up your ass dipshit who will take personal offense, there will be someone nodding in agreement.
You want to excercise your critical faculties? By all means. I come here to do it myself. But to criticize the critic for not being in lock-step with your narrow tastes? Go fuck yourselves.

I agree with the commenter(s) who've said The Kidd has no passion for film. I don't know that, but if he does, it does not come across in his reviews. At least when Capone hates a movie, I buy it. That man can get his hate on in a passionate, relatable, "Holy shit I should avoid this movie like the plague" way.
Kidd just makes me sad. I assume his life is as passionless as those people who troll internet boards to post comments on random crap.
....
Dammit.

The heroes either have ended their stories or are just starting new 'boots'.
Superman comes out next year, while Batman is over in a couple of months. Wonder Woman once again failed to get any ground. Flash??? uhhh, nope. Green Lantern and Superman are the only two who could go over into a Justice League movie. Bale is getting older and I think is done with Batman, so they'd have to reboot that crap all over again with a new actor and like I said, there are no other heroes getting movies made right now that were in the League.
By the time they'd be ready with all of their heroes shown on screen with their chosen actors, Justice League would be 5 years down the road. How many Green Lantern and Superman movies will there have been by then? Or would there just be that long break?

Marvel did it the right way. They decided from the first movie (Ironman) that they wanted to move forward with the Avengers and every year established one or two movies to build towards it. Now, here we are with everything in place.
DC movies are only focusing on their characters solely and the releases are not working with eachother.
They would have to start it all over, unless it only consisted of Green Lantern, Superman, and Batman and started filming NOW, and other characters could be introduced in that Justice League movie.
That would seem so spontaneous though and wouldn't gel from their solo movie departures. There would be WAY too much explaining needed.

I'm looking forward to that. Hell, there's a ton of exposition in the comics themselves. Depends on who's doing the 'expositioning' if you will...<p>
Characters like Tony Stark or Gandalf could read the phone book and make it interesting.<p>
I must say though, as much as I love RJD, the bits and pieces I've seen of him in Avengers do seem a bit too snarky. Not an easy line to walk. Too much over the line and he comes across like a dick. I'll find out Friday.

if you are any sort of fan of the Avengers comic, you'd know that "bickering" between team members is a constant in the books. Obviously, Whedon took a dynamic from the books and used it in the movie.
What a concept...sticking to source material.

Those personalities need 2.5 hours to clash by themselves in a movie. I don't know if you really need a new solo batman film, the character brings in cash and everyone knows the back story.
2014-Worlds Finest
2015-Wonder Women & Flash
2016- GL 2 and JLA
Its of course not going to happen, but its fun to dream.

I also find it funny that some of the same posters that trash any positive reviewers on this site as having been "bought and paid for" by the studios, also lose their shit when a lukewarm or negative review goes up as well. Jeez....

...his little conversation with Black Widow has been one of the most memorable scenes for me - the expression on his face as he realizes she actually outsmarted him is worth the ticket alone.
I also got the impression that he stirred animosity between the Avengers and in fact influenced them to bicker on another by means of his scepter - Banner grabbing it is exactly what he wanted from the beginning.

He gives his honest opinion and doesn't pander to a film if he doesn't like it, or finds flaws with it. He isn't afraid to go against the majority opinion and heap praise upon a praised film just to "fit in". I've agreed with almost everything he's written and I value his opinion. Alot of you immature tossers berate Harry often because he often loves films that you don't love, (oh how dare he) and now you berate The Kidd because he often dislikes movies!! Well boo hoo to you. Have any of you seen the state of movies made these days. The majority of them are shit. Big budget effects heavy predictable bland shit. We now live in a time where movies often lack great scripts, acting, directing etc and the emphasis seems to be more about what effects can be thrown at the screen to take our minds off the former. No wonder so many actors now turn to television. The kidd is a rarity on this site. He doesn't give a fuck about pandering to anyone, even you tossers. He gives his opinion and if you don't like it, boo fucking hoo to you. Rather than berate him for having an opinion why don't you do something more useful. Why don't you try become a film critic yourself? Oh yeah, I forgot, you'd rather berate actual film critics. Mature.

Kidd's comments about misuse of Loki are very very true. As anyone who knows anything about action movies knows, it's that the entire plot and hero's journey pivots on the villain's plans. This is why Die Hard is genius and Live Free Or Die Hard is confused and forced. Cos that's how the villain's plans were.
If Loki is uninvolved and his plot simple and vague, that really will hinder the tension and vitality of the film AS A WHOLE! Weak villains has plagued every action film this decade, from Expendables to John Carter to every Statham. It's making Jeremy Irons from DH3 look like Hans Gruber!
Seriously, sort your villains out!!

Hiddleston is at his best when he's just talking.
He's a fantastic bad guy; he doesn't need to do bad stuff, he's just EVIL. Well... spiteful, and ultimately WAY out of his depth.
I think the review here a little harsh, but yes, the film has its weak points. But honestly, it's such a fun ride, I didn't give a fuck.
Funny regarding the score, I was aware of it but didn't think it memorable. But as we left the cinema a bunch of kids were all humming it, so...

Saw it last night. Loved it. The Kidd is nit picking...which I suppose is his prerogative. This is a great movie. Anyway, there is a mid-credits scene that was shown in the international releases..but they've added on an end credits scene...and it is AWESOME. Very nice. I loved it. So stay until the bitter end for a nice treat.

And that, folks, is the mentality I'm talking about. robbieno9, does the Kidd's less than orgasmic review take away from you enjoying the Avengers? No?
The only thing this means is that the Kidd is, for the moment, in the minority. It doesn't make him a troll or a hater (gag). It just means he takes his job seriously. When his writing matches his convictions, he might actually turn out to be a pretty solid contribution to this site. I for one have grown tired of all the mushy-headed hyperbole. Jesus, if I read Harry write gobsmacked one more time...

Glad you could take that in good spirit, zombie_fatigue (zombies are still kickass by the way).
I don't agree with Kidd's review for reasons I articulated really early on in this talkback (basically, that the negatives he cites are being blown out of proportion), but for me, it has nothing to do with him not agreeing with me. As for the larger issue of his reviews, I just wish he'd break from formula... his reviews all read the same way, and fairly dryly. Which is too bad because I think he's done some really great, insightful interviews for the site. If he could get his reviews on the same level--negative or positive--it would be awesome.

BUT...a comic book "Take over the world/Enslave all of mankind" type of plot is SOOOO over the top you can't really hang your hat on any details as to how the hell it would actually be done. Hence, the broad strokes and monologues of super villains. They stand around a lot, give orders to minions, rant and set up vague references of "portals" that need to be closed and "sources of power" that then need to be destroyed. Gee, just like a comic book. <p>
This is not a bank heist where the villain can orchestrate the minutiae of it all. It's a grand opera....broad strokes.

DC may save green lantern the same way marvel saved hulk. Get Superman off the ground next year. See if it works out. With out him you got nothing. If Superman is a hit. Green Light new Batman, Flash, Wonder Women. (Do we really Need Aquaman?) Get those movies out in the next 3 years and then focus on JLA. They can do it but the WB needs to focus.

Not sure he saw the same film as me.
It was a blast, very funny and the dynamics were great.
You can not have 2.22 of solid action - the talky bits were good.
Did he not get that Loki wanted to be caught?
TWAT!!!!
Sorry for that but this site has pissed me right off today - some of the comments levelled at Harry are just plain horrible and two of the 'reviewers' clearly saw a different film from the 96% on Rotton tomatoes.........
Perhaps I should stop reading other peoples opinions and sit happily with my own.
I enjoyed the film so much I am going again this weekend..... not done that since Top Gun (albeit that was due to nothing else being on the second time I went to the Cinema!!)
Please Americans - enjoy it, its great!

I hope this doesn't create a knee jerk reaction to fast track a JLA movie. "Ohh man, that Avengers movie is doing killer business, what do we have? JLA? Sweet, get that JLA TV pilot script and lets get er done next week"

I assume Kidd was referring to this being the first time multiple characters from individual films had all been put into one movie, and given decent breathing space in doing so.
But yeah, I suppose X-Men. Although they're one entity, while The Avengers consist of several seperate characters who also happen to serve on a team.

Fanatic Muslim believes his religion must conquer world, and that big bad U.S. has treated his people wrong. He launches terrorist attack on US on 9/11/2001.
Economic depression leads to nutjob taking over Germany, and he declares war on, well, pretty much the world.
Colonies get tired of taxes and revolt.
Those "simple" enough?
If you want to stick to Hollywood, try these:
*Rogue falls for independent woman during Civil War;
*Crime lord turns down drug deal - mob war ensues;
*12 cons recruited for dangerous WWII mission;
*Young couple falls in love on big boat, but it sinks;
*Secret agent tries to foil madman's plot;
*Man's life is actually a TV show;
*General becomes slave then gladiator;
*Fishermen caught in Really Big Storm;
*Aliens visit Earth;
*Aliens attack Earth;
*Aliens want to eat Earth;
There's far more, but you get the idea...

I am ok with Mr. Kid's deconstruction of Avengers, but that deconstruction makes ensemble movies like Lord of the Rings seem like Renaissance Festival: "The Mighty Ducks" This review raises the bar for other movies and that is a good thing, I just hope Mr. Kid sticks to this standard and never gives a movie a pass for being anything less than this (Avengers 2012) movie.

He soars in his heli-carrier scenes by just talking. That scene with him and Black Widow (when he's trapped in the 'donut') is nothing short of amazing. What did you want to see him doing more of? Backflips? Shooting lasers out of his staff?

Any true geek sees this movie with tears in their eyes.
Someone capable of talking about this movie "dragging" just doesn't have the right religion. It's like a moslem watching "Jesus Christ Superstar". They might sit their tapping their toes and say afterward, "As a movie about one of the lesser prophets it's quite entertaining, but everything up to the crucifixion drags."
Really, Kidd, Beaks, any of the rest of you who think this is about cinema and not about comic-books, you can just buzz off. You don't get it, you're not going to get it, and you're probably not capable of getting it.
The Avengers is a gift from the Gods. 'Nuff Said!

The Kidd could find something wrong with a perfect diamond.
Ever heard of the term nitpicking? Well you sure did find alot of little shit to bitch about.
This is why I completely disregard his reviews. His interviews are tolerable, the idiotic way he posts news is tolerable... But his reviews? He isnt happy until he can find something to bitch about and take the film down a notch or two.

"The Avengers is why we go to the movies. The film will work fine on a big-screen TV, but it’s the kind of gigantic blockbuster fare that sends us back to every summer we went to the theater and were absolutely wowed. By crafting a winning combination of wonderful characters, brilliant comedy, and spectacular set pieces, Whedon hasn’t simply created the biggest superhero movie; he’s created one of the best."
Source: http://collider.com/the-avengers-review/163538/

...at an IMAX. It is what popcorn cinema should be all about.
There are gaping plot holes, and the first 90 minutes is forgettable but the last hour is pure fucking magic.
I wish there could have been a 180 minute cut with a scene showing how Odin & Thor react to Loki's betrayal and then Odin sending Thor to Earth, a short scene between Thor and Jane would have been preferable too. A couple more scenes of Cap struggling with culture shock, more on Black Widow and Hawkeye; maybe an explanation of where Banner finds that motorcycle and how far he is from NY...and how he knew to go there. Gripe, gripe.
This film is far from perfect, but it still has the Avengers fighting together on screen and that has to be worth a lot, plus a few cheer-out-loud moments - IMAX tickets are £17.00 round my way and this was worth every penny just to see 'those' two scenes with Hulk. Priceless.

That's all that matters to me. Can you guys imagine the retarded travesty this would be in pretty much anyone else's hands? I mean, 6 superheroes with completely different backstories crammed into a couple of hours? That's basically a magic trick of filmmaking as far as I'm concerned. Not easy.

"Marvel’s The Avengers is not just a film – it’s a cinematic event. The culmination of half a decade of movie-making, five different films introducing us to characters, stories and worlds of Marvel’s shared movie universe – not to mention, the life-long dreams of fanboys and fangirls all over the world, who have been dreaming to see their favorite superheroes onscreen together long before Marvel Studios began making it a reality.
Now that the Avengers is here, the question is: Does writer/director Joss Whedon (Serenity) deliver a film that lives up to fans’ massive expectations and functions as a great summer blockbuster for causal moviegoers?
Short answer: while not perfect, Avengers delivers the goods on all fronts, and then some."
Source: http://screenrant.com/the-avengers-reviews-2012-kofi-168793/

...the war is what justifies the Avengers in the first place. He got that idea after watching Black Hawk Down, that instead of having it be a Superhero movie, it should be a war movie.
And that's probably what's going to make it work for people, and that's not coincidence.
Just an aside here, but is it just me, or is Billy the Kidd habitually down on things?
I don't know, there's just something that bothers me about Critics saying something doesn't work, as if it were something objective. As storytelling bases itself off of human experience, it shares in that quality of our experience of life, that everybody sees things and values things differently. Sometimes not by much, sometimes greatly. Sometimes, the differences are near to being justified on objective grounds, but sometimes, it's merely a matter of point of view, and doesn't deserve to be described in such unwarranted terms of objectivity.

...Samuel L. Jackson is the weakest link in this film.
I am now convinced that his "acting" is simply reading lines with his own personality and accent. He is the same guy in every film. I halfway thought he would give a line from SHAFT or SNAKES ON A PLANE.
Still, the film was FANTASTIC! If you are a comic book fan, this is the comic book movie that you always wanted to be made. If only the FANTASTIC FOUR film had hired Josh Whedon!

"If you like “Marvel’s The Avengers” (there’s almost nothing to dislike; it’s as close as a movie can come to the fantastical reality of a good comic book), stick around for the closing credits. By this point, your grandfather knows to stick around for the scrap of preview awaiting the last disclaimers and thank-yous (the scrap is called an Easter egg). “The Avengers” puts the egg before most of the credits — it just feels like the natural end of the movie.
Yes, getting the egg out of the way gets you out of the theater sooner (the movie runs about 2½ hours). But it also invites honest appreciation for the hundreds and hundreds of technicians who bring off these extravaganzas – the effects and sound people; the folks who devise and design and build the props and costumes; the men and women who helped make the destruction of midtown Manhattan (by your standard cavalcade of shimmering reptilian evil) a ridiculous pleasure. It’s tempting to envy the civilians watching Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) flying around the neighborhood from a window of their skyscraper, even after the Incredible Hulk barrels past all the cubicles and through the glass. We have 3-D glasses. They’re actually there.
So it’s truly gladdening to listen to actors like Downey, Johansson, Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man’s lady-love and lifeline, Pepper Potts), Mark Ruffalo (Dr. David Banner/the Hulk), and Clark Gregg (S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson) speak the banter and asides in Joss Whedon’s script, which is tight and – by the measure of what tends to occur in a Marvel Comics title – perfectly logical. But it’s the craftspeople you want to hug. The reason we keep going to these movies is to experience what I’ve always called the Saturday-afternoon high of taking in a comic book. You don’t read them, per se. You savor them – the succession of bright, handsome frames, the simmering pace of the plot, the ideas. The great comic books made you want to be inside them. The great comic books were better than the movies. They could do what the technician couldn’t.
What we’ve seen since Richard Donner’s original “Superman” from 1978 is the steady closing of that gap. “The Avengers” is state-of-the-art, in that sense."
Source: http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2012/05/03/action_packed/
CAUTION: I wouldn't recommend to read past this part of the review until you've got to see the movie because there are spoilers. You've been warned.

This is the problem I have with most of the reviews. It's the same problem I had with all the transformers reviews! I'm going to see the avengers because I want to see Thor fight hulk, stark fight Thor, hulk fight Loki, shit I want to see everyone fight! I'm not going into this movie looking for a great story or a breath taking score... It was the same with the transformers flicks, I didn't care what kind of back story fucking Sam and that broad have, I just want to see giant robots fight to the death! So I say fuck the score, who cares if the movie is lacking a turning point, fuck do I care if black widow has a back story! Give me Odin son vs hulk, hulk vs anyone for that matter, tony vs cap! If I wanted a movie with all the emotion and sad music I would've went and saw the titanic in 3d! In the words of Hit Girl.... AVENGERS FUCKING ASEMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think your bang on Kidd.
Spoiler!!!!!!!!!
The stand out thing for me was the hulk. He was awesome..... but. How can he one minute be smashing the shit out of anything and anyone and the next minute taking orders from Cap?
It was still a very cool movie, but pacing and script is not as tight as I expected.

Heck look at RT. Do you really think any of those so called "negative reviews" are sincere? They are simply herding the angry sheep to their shitty websites. If Gone With the Wind came out today there'd still be 4% of critics that would say that it sucked simply for the attention. It's such bullshit. This film owns, The Dark Knight owned, they are excellent comic book movies...no just plain MOVIES; so deal with it.

An excerpt:
"Since making an Avengers movie requires lining up so many moving pieces in an orderly row, it’s something of an accomplishment that The Avengers even exists. But beyond that logistical nightmare is the double agenda the film has to serve, advancing the stories of the individual characters as begun in previous films while telling a coherent, self-contained story. Factor in another wave of Marvel movies and an inevitable sequel, and that agenda gets even more complicated. All of which raises the question: Is there room for any movie within this Avengers movie?
Decidedly, yes. Written and directed by Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, The Avengers is big but graceful, carefully balancing small character moments with action scenes that stretch from the New York pavement to the sky and beyond. The film finds drama in the reluctant cooperation of teammates yoked together by the threat of a common enemy, as well as in the terrifying shadows cast by giant space monsters as they descend from the heavens. Tasked with meeting the many requirements necessary for any Avengers movie to work, Whedon checks off all the boxes, then sets about creating new expectations for what a big superhero movie ought to be."
"In other words, The Avengers delivers and then some. Even the weakest of Marvel Studios’ films have felt like competent, well-polished pieces of product. The Avengers is that, yes, but also a heartfelt, exciting, and thematically resonant piece of big-screen mythmaking likely to please superhero geeks and general audiences alike. Though, just as Star Wars helped bring the dreams of science-fiction fans into the world at large in the ’70s, in the years since X-Men, the distinction between fans and general audiences has gotten thinner and thinner. Maybe that’s what happens in a golden age."
Source: http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-avengers,73396/

It's hard to have a villain dominate screen time when you have an alien invasion happening in the third act. That's why Loki was perfect for this. The invasion and "war" is the event that needed to bring the Avengers together. If it was just one dude... Most of you would be saying right now "Well Captain America beat him all by himself so why did they need to come together?"...
I do agree that action movies need strong villains. They also need to take chances. The 4th Die Hard was a great example. The main villain was horribly set up. Essentially a computer nerd who fired French and one Cuban mercenaries. He never really was ever threatening. I mean at one point after having John's daughter talk shit to him... He simply hands a walkie-talkie over and goes "Here you handle her" or something. Terrible.
The other problem is the studio's obsession with ratings. With pg-13 it's hard to make a villain threatening. Only person do this really well was Nolan. The Joker was a scary ass hole. Action movies need to go back to having smart and violent villains.
For comic book movies though... I think they are going in the right direction. Bringing villains back instead of killing them makes things more epic in the long run.

He liked it but thought it had flaws.
Has this site brainwashed people into believing that if every review isn't start to finish hyperbolic than it must mean the writer hates the movie and is not a true film lover?

He's extremely underused for the middle act of the film. I'm still convinced we were supposed to see him cast his spell on Hulk to send him crazy on the helicarrier, and he just got forgotten about in the final script.

It's not quite true that "He is the same guy in every film." But it's true that he has a tendency in that direction unless the script and/or director push him to be different.
If you want to see Jackson different (and excellent), watch _Sunset Limited_.

and the movie is fantastic. Yes, the story could have evolved more but what we have is rather good. Every time the Hulk is on the screen, he lights it up. Loki's end-gameplan is quite flawed but it plays to his character (egocentric, megalomaniacal,pompous). Go see it for yourself.

I am not knocking on the Kid because he gave one bad review. I am doing so for the last 15 or so straight bad reviews in a row!!
All he ever does is tear films apart. He brings nothing to the table and doesn't enjoy movies.
He has been nothing but a troll since he started. Why hire a man whose only passion in life is to suck the passion out of others?
He is a troll. He is allowed to give his opinion. I am all for that, but when 9 out 10 reviews are hate fests, it is time to go forever.

This film is easily the best Marvel film so far. It's doing mad numbers here in the UK, people are going back for a second and third time. It's already taken more than Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk did on their entire runs here in the UK.
It is nothing like Transformers as some people have alluded to, quite how I know not as it has 1. A Script. 2. Actors that can act. 3. A Director than can direct.
My only gripe? You guys in the US get TWO post credit scenes, we only got one. God damn you!! ;)
Get your tickets, kick back and enjoy it, its fantastic. Then buy some more tickets and go again.
I haven't enjoyed a film this much since I saw Ghostbusters way back when and I'm going back for my second viewing on Monday. You will be dying for 2014 so we can get the sequel. I cannot wait.
Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT.

What i mean is...it's really ALWAYS been as much about the conflict WITHIN the team as the uber villains they are fighting.
They're a "family" and while families OFTEN argue & disagree, they ultimately all come together when they are threatened by a bigger, badder foe--which is why i say it sounds like the Avengers to ME. cant wait for Friday!

While the movie is not perfect it's worlds away from being a 'clusterfuck'. It's a rousing fun movie with some of the wittiest dialogue and sound characterisation seen in big tentpole movie in ages. It does have some pacing flaws but you need to establish the characters so that you're emotionally invested in them. It's a great movie and for all you trolls spoiling the film for our friends in the US by giving away key details...fuck you.

...It would have taken all the fun out of the awesome experience that it was...
Now, for those who are about to see it, you better stay away from reviews. Have fun, you will love it.
I'm from Mexico (and it's breaking records around here). Saw it on Monday. People cheered and laughed. And it was mostly a non-geek audience.
Just don't read more reviews people....

One of the pleasures of seeing the Avengers was being surprised when two hero's go at it which I hadn't seen in the trailers. Stop putting spoilers in reviews and if you do put a spoiler alert at the top.

Before seeing the movie, it's in the opening monologue who they are.
***SPOILERS***
I think those 2 nicknames are the only ones Stark uses, so it's not overdone like Billy says.
If its not obvious that Lokis staff is influencing them during the argument scene on the helicarrier, watch it again. An entire 20 second shot focusses on the staff as they argue in the background (when the camera turns upside down).
So the US get an extra end credit scene at the END of the credits....of the Avengers having schwarma. Pretty funny, but I wouldn't hang around for it. It is meant as a joke, like "why are you still watching this movie, it's over".

...I totally agree with you man. It makes you think about the value of reviews.
And now that abroad audiences like us where given the rare chance to see a blockbuster first than most reviewers, we can actually make and opinion by ourselves, and more so, know their true subjectivities and biases...

Is most likely how the majority of people will see the movie six months from now.
Just like TDK, almost everyone gushed over it, simply because it was about as good as anyone could have hoped for. Not to mention, the unexpected brilliance of Ledger's Joker.
We were all totally exhilirated, and caught up in the moment of young love for Nolan's film.
Once a few months passed, and the inevitable "what have you done for me lately' of it all set in, people started picking the film apart, and pointing out plot holes, moments of heavy exposition, and general ways they thought TDK could have been better.
The honeymoon was over.
Face it, there is no "Perfect Film" for everyone.
There's always room for improvement, and hindsight being what it is.....
Still, that doesn't make TDK any less the stellar achievement it was initially thought to be, and it won't make Avengers any less dazzling than it appears to be.
I'm glad to see some honest observations, as they keep the bar at an honest level. Plus, it avoids all the backtracking most reviewers will be doing here in a few months.
Still can't wait for 12:01 AM Friday to come!

Moriarty and Harry reviews... those were the days.
I'm loving to read all this love The Avengers is getting. <3
As for people seeing flaws in The Avengers like they did with TDk, I'll keep my mouth shut, but I'll say that just like I've never found a single flaw in Star Wars, I'm not seeing this happening with its 21st century equal. Joss Whedon and Marvel just achieved a level of legend status where just few movies are invited.

I loved The Avengers, but I also saw flaws in the movie. The flaws were not big enough that I really cared. It's strange how everyone wants to act like this is the most perfect movie they've ever seen and if you think differently your just a hater or a nitpicker. Even the people I saw the movie with felt like it dragged slightly in the middle when Loki was locked up. That does not mean it wasn't an excellent superhero flick and definitely the best Marvel movie. I'm sorry if I still feel that the original Superman is still the best superhero movie I've ever seen. I apologize if I feel that Spiderman 2, Superman 2, and Blade are either equal or a step below The Avengers. It's a damn good movie but calm down people and enjoy it for what it is.

the heroes came across as juvenile. it's typical of the comics for heroes to fight each other first 'cos of some misunderstanding but to have a three-way while Loki is hanging around? it's a fun cutesy movie but it has no emotional weight. the alien invasion felt like an episode of a JLU cartoon and SHIELD was doing the Cadmus Initiative. the non-powered heroes seem completely out of place. goes well with popcorn

...can complain to whatever fault is in it. The truth is that as a whole The Avengers is a very satisfying movie, a crowd pleaser that will leave most people with the impression that they've just seen the best movie ever, even if it is not. The positive word of mouth for it will be huge and I predict that The Avengers will have no trouble making US$500 millions in US alone. I've seen it two times and in both occasions people were cheering and applauding at a much bigger rate (not to mention standing ovation at the end) than event films such at Avatar and The Dark Knight. Believe the hype fellow Americans. The Avengers is for real and are in for a hell of a ride.

Seriously, just chill out. I know you're caught up in the moment of things, but come back to reality. The review was mostly positive, isn't that enough? What more do you want? Complete lack of critical analysis of all things Marvel? Of all things Wheddon? I don't like Joss Wheddon but I hear this movie is worth watching so I'm going to go with an open mind, and I'm not trolling against it either.
Sure, there may be things I might not like about it and there will be things I will like about it. Please, True Believers, don't sound like the crazy Tea Party people screaming "Us vs them". We're better than that.

Surely you realize that what's UNPRECEDENTED about THE AVENGERS is that it's taking 4 characters that have already appeared in their own movies and joining them in one super-star mash-up. FF, X-Men, Watchmen... yes, they're all super-hero teams, but none contained established characters from other movies.

was a clearly defined villain. Who is this army Loki has? What is their motivation? What is their plot? At NO TIME did I feel like earth, let alone, the Avengers were in ANY danger.
Then, the Nuke at the end, hitting the space station... give me a break... like that is going to stop the aliens?
Oh, and Hulk magically having control of his Hulk side at the end?
There are many problems, that were caused by laziness. The script needed another rewrite.

Gads, ANOTHER Marvel film with a crappy score? THOR, which I enjoyed even with a few historical eyebrows raised, had an awful Steve Jablonsky ripoff for a score. I was expecting epic and I get Michael Bay instead. But wow, the great Alan Silvestri turns in mediocre work? After CAPTAIN AMERICA? and on a Joss Whedon AVENGERS movie? How the hell does THAT happen?
But...the burning question remains...
HOW...WAS...THE..3d? If you saw it in 3d, as I suspect you did. Worth the trip to a Liemax? Or a Reald venue? Or should we just skip the glasses altogether?

Um, do you not see how it was ripped off. City wide battle formed because of a teleportation device installed atop skyscrapers... the entire battle plan revolved along the weakest of the group disabling it before more "enter".
But hey, maybe you also missed the giant worm like machine thing that looked like Shockwaves pet as well.
Your parents siblings?

Hey, we have to find away to defeat all these enemies fast at the end.
How about a command ship!!!
But the Aliens, aren't machines
DOESN'T MATTER!!!! Ship destroyed, THEY DIE... except the Skeletor/Palpatine leader... HE is okay.

Oh, where to start? Here's a good a spot as any: It must be fun to be so simple. You're the same kind of douchebag who thought the design of Ang Lee's Hulk was a ripoff of Shrek, aren't you? As terrible as the TRANSFORMERS movies were, Sam was definitely not the weak link, especially during the third film, unless of course you mean physically. Did you learn nothing from 300?

Loki just talks! -- The Kidd (paraphrased) (poorly)
SPOILERS MAYBE, SO WAIT -- DO NOT RUIN THIS FLICK FOR YOURSELF.
Of course. Loki is tougher than normal people, less tough than Iron Man and most SHIELD-tech according to the movie, so he gives up according to his plan. Which as the Mastermind of the scenario, it's not his role to beat the shit out of everyone. He delights more when the heroes beat the shit out of each other instead! That's Loki, the God of Mischief -- you were probably thinking that he was the God of Kicking The Nuts Off Of Superheroes. Easy mistake to make.
Don't kid yourself. To make this the 'NOT Tony Stark's Avengers', they had to truncate RDJ's role a bit. So, they give him heroic moments and an actual character arc in this movie that makes sense. Which was refreshing. There's a respect for each of the characters inherent in the direction in the movie, as well as the script, including everyone established as 'minor' character in other Marvel films.
So, your opinion here, I have to say comes off as misinformed of the nature of these characters in their 'Comic Book' incarnations. Which is no fault of yours, and completely the fault of the Marvel Studios filmmakers prior to this movie. It does require to some extent that you have at least seen Iron Man and Thor, as the villain and many of the supporting cast come from those two movies.
And here's where NatPortman's After Birth Person (while likely a troll, and NOT genuinely looking for an erudite opinion on the nature of this movie) should take a look at the film:
Each of the characters has an arc, the plot makes 100% sense, and the action all serves the story, not the other way around. Just as much shit gets 'blowed up real good' in Transformers, but I don't give half a dead donkey's shit about the humans in that movie. (That's not to say I didn't enjoy the spectacle of the first two, I've still not seen the third one, though in the trailer they FUCK UP the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago -- which bears a look, I think. :) )
Is it Troilus and Cressida or Titus Andronicus? No, and you're retarded if you looked at the poster with a bunch of superheroes standing there and waiting to fight aliens and thought that it might be.
But it is close to being Andy Warhol's soup can -- pop art that actually entertains. If you want more than that, there's other flicks that serve that purpose.
MB

You would like me to clarify, I presume. My point was that just because Subject A looks like Subject B does not mean B was copied/stolen from A. I'm amazed just how angry you are over this film. Either you're a huge Avengers fan, in which case the movie didn't meet your particular expectations, or you despise the Avengers, in which case you would have no reason to watch it.

My girlfriend hasn't seen any of the solo movies (to be fair, I haven't seen Thor, Captain America, or iron Man 2), nor does she really know the characters. She has a cool taste in movies though, and we saw Cabin in the Woods the other week and both loved it.
You think she would enjoy this movie if she wasn't familiar with any of the characters/backstory? Or would it just be too confusing for an Avengers rookie.

...Don't worry, you and your girlfriend will love it. You will understand it perfectly.
But of course, it is more enjoyable if you have seen the other movies, because you see how the loose ends in the other pictures (I wont spoil them for you) tie in. And you "care" more for the characters when you have seen their background stories.
Enjoy it, and please don't listen to the haters...

Considering how Thor's movie ends (the "bridge" that connects Asgard to Earth is destroyed), Loki only has a throw-away line that hints at how it might have been possible for him to make it back to Earth. In fact, if you haven't seen that movie, it might not even bother you at all.
They give enough of the backstory of the other heroes to understand them, and what's their condition at the start of the movie.

I think some of your criticism is spot-on, but... wow. Clusterfuck?
You should see it again. I know the review is positive, but I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that. Are you sure that's the right word? In a way, there's going to be messiness in an Avengers film, unless you want a 4 hour film. There's just too many mouths to feed, too many egos to sooth and too many personalities too big for the screen they're trapped in.
Good review though, I'm loving your stuff here.

It is rare that a film score actually stands out. The last one that I remember standing out in any way was The Social Network. Prior to that? There Will Be Blood. Prior to that? Oh geez.........Batman, maybe? From 1989. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, but the Batman score was the last one that really stuck with me. It was also the last great superhero score. When I hear part of that music I know exactly what it is, just like I know the music from Superman, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Wars and James Bond movies. They don't write scores like they used to. I know Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia and The Adventures of Robin Hood when I hear them. Not so much any scores of today.

what a bunch of depressed and negative people ..starting with the reviewer!. Trying to predict a film will not hold up in the future..cmon amateurs..Only the test of time can say whether a film will hold up or not. Some films even get better as they age.

Kidd, are you intentionally a bullish contrarian or is it just so you can keep using the same header over and over. Harry, where the hell did you find this guy? I think you can give him back now, we're all done.

Wow, so much negativity about Loki not using magic. Favreau set up through the Iron-Man movies that there will be no magic. Thor & Captain America movies expanded this & kept up the pre tense of science. When Thor shows up in Avengers, Loki asks how much negative energy Odin had to gather to bypass the Bifrost. That Thor shows up & attacks those he has sworn to defend, plus the scene centred around Loki's staff, it's nasty science that is Loki's magic.
Is Iron-Man cockier this time around....yes. Last time out he was dieing & told he wouldn't be part of the Avengers. This time round, he's well, got the girl, on the cusp of solving the world's energy crisis & is asked for help by those who basically told him to naff off.
Is LOKI underused....maybe. But how much is Darth Vader really used in Star Wars? How much Clown Prince do we get in Dark Knight?
The way to use a villian is not overdo it, but let the audience establish that hate for what these villians are doing to our hero's.
In Kidd's review he complains that we, the audience, are led through much of the film, but it would seem if he had spent more time watching the movie than watching for reasons to knock points off, he could have delivered a much brighter review.

***Massive Spoilers***
Dude from THOR makes deal with the Transformers: If he gets the magic rubix cube from CAPTAIN AMERICA, they can take over the universe and he gets Manhattan. The alien robot things give him a magic stick.
Eye Patch gets sent to secret underground place. Obama's government is trying to harness the power of the rubix cube. The creepy old guy that hangs around Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings in THOR is studying it and Bow-and-Arrow is guarding it.
BOOM! Dude from THOR is there. He touches creepy old guy and Bow-and-Arrow with his magic stick and make them zombies. Bow-and-Arrow helps dude from THOR escape while the rubix cube goes apeshit. Eye Patch barely gets out.
Big Tits is being held captive by foreign dudes. Asshole from the other Marvel films calls her, tells her to jet. Big Tits flips around and somehow knocks everyone out.
Edward Norton is a doctor in India hiding from Obama. Big Tits lures him to a house and tells him the rubix cube emits gamma rays and he should help because the people she works for don't know shit.
Eye Patch is with his group, Blackwater. They what to start "Phase 2". Eye Patch says fuck that, and tells them to start the Big Group of Movie Stars Initiative instead.
Eye Patch goes to the gym and finds White Slave. Blackwater found White Slave frozen in some ice and now keeps him captive until they can use him. Eye Patch fills him in on the rubix cube. Tells him he's gonna help get it back or it'll be the whip again.
Rich Guy is working on some shit up in his skyscraper. Asshole breaks in and tells him about the rubix cube.
Dude from THOR takes creepy old guy and Bow-and-Arrow to Walmart. Tells creepy old guy to make something with the rubix cube. Creepy old guy says he needs some other shit.
Asshole takes White Slave to Blackwater's air craft carrier, paid for by Haliburton. Big Tits and Edward Norton are there. The air craft carrier turns into a completely unnecessary floating air craft carrier.
White Slave, Edward Norton, Big Tits and Eye Patch use some 7 Eleven security cam footage and locate dude from THOR at some Nazi party.
Dude from THOR and Bow-and-Arrow bash in and steal the other shit creepy old guy needs. Dude from THOR then turns into a gold Power Ranger villain and tells everyone to bow before him. White Slave and Rich Guy show up and take dude from THOR while Bow-and-Arrow escapes with the shit creepy old guy needs.
White Slave and Rich Guy are in a Blackwater jet with dude from THOR when ...BOOM!, the girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING shows up, and steals the dude from THOR. Rich Guy jumps out and uses his money to fly while White Slave grabs a parachute.
Girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING tells dude from THOR to stop this crazy shit. Dude from THOR tells her to fuck off. Rich Guy flies in and fights girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING. White Slave intervenes and says they should all work together.
They bring dude from THOR back to Blackwater's floating airship and put him in a cell that was made for Edward Norton.
Rich Guy and Edward Norton bond over being nerds and think that Eye Patch is bullshit.
Big Tits talks with dude from THOR. She tells him her and Bow-and-Arrow are tight. Dude from THOR calls her gay and she starts to cry. Then she somehow figures out he wants Edward Norton to go apeshit.
White Slave figures out "Phase 2" was Blackwater trying to use the rubix cube to make WMDs.
Big Group of Movie Stars confronts Eye Patch. While this is going down Bow-and-Arrow sneaks on board and blows up an engine. Rumble falls on Big Tits and Edward Norton. Edward Norton starts to turn into a Green Guy. Green Guy goes after Big Tits. Girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING intervenes and Green Guy wins the fight through some bitch moves. A Blackwater jet fires on Green Guy and he's like Oh HELL Naw and jumps off the airship onto it.
Bow-and-Arrow tries to free dude from THOR. Girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING gets involved and gets trapped in the cell instead. Big Tits goes after Bow-and-Arrow and Asshole threatens dude from THOR with a "Phase 2" WMD. Dude from THOR stabs asshole and makes girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING's cell drop out of the airship.
Girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING uses her bitch hammer to smash open the cell and escape.
Rich Guy and White Slave fix the engine and Big Tits hits Bow-and-Arrow on the head to not make him a zombie. Asshole shoots dude from THOR as he gets away. Eye Patch comforts asshole while he screams AVENGE ME!!!
Big Group of Movie Stars gets teared up about asshole. Eye Patch tells them to man up and help Blackwater.
Rich Guy realizes it'll be more cost effective for dude from THOR to hold the final battle in a place the movie has already shown: His skyscraper.
Creepy old guy is at the skyscraper using what he made with the rubix cube to open a hole in the ozone to get the Transformers to come.
Rich Guy uses his money to fly to the skyscraper. Dude from THOR is already there and they talk for no reason. Dude from THOR tries to turn Rich Guy into a zombie with his magic stick. Rich Guy's money heart prevents it, so he just throws him out a window. Rich Guy's money dives out the window and saves him.
Hundreds of Transformers emerge from the ozone hole to start their war to take over Manhattan. The Big Group of Movie Stars figure out they're fucked unless they close the ozone hole.
Obama sends a nuke toward Manhattan thinking it'll help. Eye Patch calls him a dumbass and has a temper tantrum.
Big Tits uses a hoverboard to fly to the top of Rich Guy's skyscraper. Creepy old guy gets hit in the head and stops being a zombie. He tells Big Tits he made a safety button that will close the ozone hole: Dude from THOR's magic stick.
Green Guy throws dude from THOR around and Big Tits gets his magic stick.
Eye Patch tells Rich Guy about the nuke and Rich Guy uses his money to fly and get it.
Rich Guy flies the nuke through the ozone hole and blows up the Transformers' mothership.
Big Tits uses the magic stick to close the ozone hole just as Rich Guy falls through.
Everybody thinks Rich Guy is dead but he's all like my movies make more than y'all's so I can't die.
Girl from ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING takes dude from THOR back to Care-A-Lot.
Rich Guy and his whore start to clean up his skyscraper.
Some Transformers bow before their leader and bitch. Their leader, Powers Boothe, smiles.
The End

Really?
What he's done is try and take a super hero film and compare it to art house stuff which of course is daft.
The Avengers is a super hero / comic book lovers dream, it takes all the hero's, shows their fickleness and then strips them of it, its an origins picture and therefore was going to have character clash, the Avengers simply didn't hit the road running as perfect team mates, there was angst and confrontation.
Joss played that out perfectly...
As for Loki not running amok all over the place from the start to the end, I'm glad he was caged, some of his evil was best shown from the cage, it was played out right.
He didn't like the confrontations between Avengers, well Billy its what the people wanted, name me a Marvel fan who would not want to see mini battles between their hero's, the Stark ego was a perfect catalyst for this, the Thor arrogance also perfect and the Hulk, well he's a battle all on his own.
Sorry Billy but you got it wrong, you looked at it from the eye's of a non comic fan, the film is a comic fans best day ever, its a geek megathon and that's who it was aimed at.
It was so much FUN that even me who thought Black Widow and Hawkeye would be spare change loved their spots, Joss GOT US, he saw our inner geek and he exploded it on to the screen, would it win acting Oscars, never but its not about that, its showing the first ever PROPER team up comic book film, its showing their rough edges and the evolution of their teaming up, Cap taking control and gelling the lumps and bumps together.
What you were after was a work of art whereas this is a film based upon art and it brought it to the screen with the big bang needed. To start tearing little pieces out just sounds petty, its a summer ish block buster, its putting huge numbers of bums on seats who come out with smiles a mile wide, that's what a film should do, give people something to enjoy and the Avengers did it in spades.

Fact: Jeff Robinov (Chief at WB) wants a "separate universe" fast tracked JLA and has already talked to Nolan about producing it.
Fact: Nolan has always said his Batman is "separate universe" and since he's producing Batman 4 that looks set to continue.
Fact: Snyder has already said that neither Cavill or "his" Superman will be in JLA.
Fact: Thomas Tull (Chief at Legendary Pictures) wants Routh back. Though Tull didn't get him cast in MOS he'll likely try again for JLA.
Remember these are just the reported facts. Not my opinion.

And that has been sorely lacking from big summer movies for the best part of a decade. In a time when most big movies are basically all 'second unit' movies ie, all you remember is the effects shots and stunt, The Avengers is a main unit movie, where the little moments between characters far outweighs the spectacle. You can always find something to complain about in movies. Some of them entertain us so much that we choose not to.

Wow, so much negativity about Loki not using magic. Favreau set up through the Iron-Man movies that there will be no magic. Thor & Captain America movies expanded this & kept up the pre tense of science. When Thor shows up in Avengers, Loki asks how much negative energy Odin had to gather to bypass the Bifrost. That Thor shows up & attacks those he has sworn to defend, plus the scene centred around Loki's staff, it's nasty science that is Loki's magic.
Is Iron-Man cockier this time around....yes. Last time out he was dieing & told he wouldn't be part of the Avengers. This time round, he's well, got the girl, on the cusp of solving the world's energy crisis & is asked for help by those who basically told him to naff off.
Is LOKI underused....maybe. But how much is Darth Vader really used in Star Wars? How much Clown Prince do we get in Dark Knight?
The way to use a villian is not overdo it, but let the audience establish that hate for what these villians are doing to our hero's.
In Kidd's review he complains that we, the audience, are led through much of the film, but it would seem if he had spent more time watching the movie than watching for reasons to knock points off, he could have delivered a much brighter review.

"If superhero movies now shoulder the responsibility of being our era’s moral parables, then “The Avengers” is a rocket-powered boost to the tops of mounts Olympus, Rushmore and Sinai.
Or, in less highfalutin words: Folks, these flicks don’t get any better than this.
Directed by Joss Whedon and tying together the “Iron Man,” “Incredible Hulk,” “Thor” and “Captain America” movies, this mega-entertaining “Avengers” film is something comic fans have dreamed of since Marvel debuted the title almost 50 years ago."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/movie-review-avengers-article-1.1068803#ixzz1toJ3xgyo

Though there's debate on whether or not they can take Bats out of the Dark Knight movies, I still think it could work. Superman doesn't deserve that kind of "Dark" treatment, which does complicate the film somewhat. Let's see... how are they going to reconcile Green Lantern?

I don't understand why there's so much hate for the Kidd. Is it because he's sarcastic and gives honest reviews? I personally enjoy reading his reviews because they seem to be more honest then ones given by the staff that give rave reviews no matter how crappy a film is just because they got a set visit and don't want to piss off their idols that they now somewhat associate with.
I think the Kidd expects a film to good all around to give it a rave review. Maybe he cares about story structure and good acting more than the average geek does?

" To add to the physical, this group of Alpha males (no offense, Black Widow) is always sniping at each other over whose way of doing things is the right way, which leads to constant bickering, very unbecoming of a superhero. "
Have you READ any of the Avenger origin stories? I mean the comics where they're forming the team or reforming the team. That's what HAPPENS.

I think I'll love thus film, I'm excited for it but based on the reviews, it's gonna bug me that iron man is kind of the "leader." I never got super into the avengers comics but what few I have always make it seem like cap ran the show.

You SOOOO wanted this to fail. It's already a smash and hasn't even opened in the U.S.!<p>
What kind of miserable, Gollum like existence must you live to hate...simply HATE to see people enjoy some harmless, pop-culture, iconic, comic book fun?<p>
Oh, that's right...because such things represent the oppressive, female-hating, capitalist-pig domination of the blahblahblahblah.

The reason some morons are going nuts over the movie is because it's near the quality of the first Iron Man (the best Marvel film), but instead of drooling over one superhero, they've given us all of them in one movie. This is clearly overloading the senses for some folks.
Apart from that, it seems that the few things that set it apart would be the zippy "Whedon" dialogue, and some well executed action beats that come across as real crowd-pleasers. Obviously credit must be given for being able to juggle so many characters and not have it come out a muddled mess, but even still some characters get the short stick.
At the end of the day it's good entertainment, but it's still the same superhero movie Marvels been churning out for a while now. We all know what's gonna happen and who's gonna win, it's just more exciting now because the scale as been upped. Some people may call this a game changer, but at the end of the day it's still just a well made superhero flick that's not the best, but not far behind.

In insecurity in some of the people in just really quite sad (cough*ijacksparrow*cough), not to mention there should be awards given out here for most hyperbolic poster of all time (LOL @ best blockbuster since Star Wars). That's great you like the movie, but why so hellbent on convincing others? The fact that you enjoyed it should be enough, but when someone starts literally pasting loads of positive reviews from other sources one after another, it really seems like you have an alternate agenda - perhaps an unhealthy obsession of Joss Whedon? Whatever it is, it comes across as someone desperately to get everyone to love it...perhaps they're trying to convince themselves of something...?

...in the NY Times (GASP, shocker)?<p>
I don't mind if one doesn't like... or even hates the movie. But THIS guy's a major tool. Don't beat up on THE KIDD. Save your rancor for this asshole. He simply can't stand the idea of profit/box office success and holds ALL who enjoy a good popcorn flick in pure, dripping contempt. <p>
EXCERPT: "The secret of “The Avengers” is that it is a snappy little dialogue comedy dressed up as something else, that something else being a giant A.T.M. for Marvel and its new studio overlords, the Walt Disney Company....<p>
Mr. Whedon’s playful, democratic pop sensibility is no match for the glowering authoritarianism that now defines Hollywood’s comic-book universe....<p>
But for all their maverick swagger, the Avengers are dutiful corporate citizens, serving a conveniently vague set of principles. Are they serving private interests, big government, their own vanity, or what? It hardly matters, because the true guiding spirit of their movie is Loki, who promises to set the human race free from freedom and who can be counted on for a big show wherever he goes. In Germany he compels a crowd to kneel before him in mute, terrified awe, and “The Avengers,” which recently opened there to huge box office returns, expects a similarly submissive audience here at home. The price of entertainment is obedience."<p>
Genderbender...are you now writing reviews for the Times?

but, but..." "has its weak points, but, but" "drags here and there, but, but...it's still fantastic!"
Hint taken. People are saying it's fantastic because it doesn't completely suck.
In other words, it doesn't suck, therefore it's fantastic!
Sounds like the third act is cool - and that the rest of it is like the lame one-sheet everyone can agree is completely awful. I wish it wasn't but it is.
Not my opinion, just an observation.
Sorry, I'm still smarting over how awful Cap'n America was...never again!

To me it's already been established that The Kidd is the epitome of negativity. Granted it's not really a negative review, but clearly you don't read comics, and haven't paid attention to the previous Marvel Films. The charcterzations of this film fit in perfectly with what they've been doing!

I really don't think that the Kidd knows what he is writing about other than saying that he doesn't like it. He is writing a lot of reviews to fill up his resume and from what I read, he doesn't know how to explain why or what he doesn't like. Its like there are an abundant amount of online movie critics saying their like or dislike for a film but they can never articulate it. The best I have seen so far has been Filmcrit Hulk. At least that man has had some experience in writing stories and understanding how to dissect what is needed to make something better or easier to digest. The Kidd is too new to this...a major rookie. And maybe he has some film school credits but hardly the experience to explain his position. Do I need to explain mine? Nope. I'm just a visitor looking for reviews. That's my take.